Confirmed: Trade Affalo, Sharpe to Denver

I'm not going to bust their balls over the past. Each team is set up differently with coaching philosophies that ask certain players to do certain things. If you've only ever played for a coach that only wants you to focus on scoring, does that make you a bad defender? It's all about the culture. Before Boston got the big 3 would any of you have said Pierce, Allen or Rondo were great defenders? I wouldn't.

As long as the GM and coaches can get get the players to buy in, most things suddenly become possible. Like playing defense. We know defense is mostly about effort.

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Well said and I agree 100%. Players that mature and want to win championships will buy into playing hard on the defensive end and improve. Almost everyone who is an NBA caliber athlete has the tools to be a defender (stay in front of your man, fight for position, etc.) so it is all about the will. If CV and BG don't have it then ship them out for someone who will, but they're young enough for me to give them a chance to see if they want it.

The Celtics example is a good one, but there are even more. Who were the great defenders on LA or Orl this year? How about when the Heat won in 2006? Sure they had some great defenders on the roster, but also some guys who you would have thought were mediocre defenders (Antione Walker anyone?) were out there working hard because they wanted it.

Seal the deal? You gotta be frikking kidding me.
"Hey Rex"
"What"
"Joe's on the phone"
"What's he want"
"He wants to GIVE you Arron Afflalo"
"For what"
"Nothing"
"I don't know, I mean we already have Donte"
"Uhhhh no we don't"
"Well we already have JR"
"Maybe, you know he's doing time right?"
"So you mean we don't have a single SG on our roster that 's not in Jail"
"Correct Sir"
"Ummmm, wait, let me ask Chauncey first"

You can't buy skill once you are capped out. That is why Joe is adding guys with actual talent now, and shipping out guys without exceptional talent to do it, because he can always add an Afflalo or Johnson or Mejia when the team is capped out, but you can't add a 20PPG scorer when your team is capped out.

No one ever thought Paul Pierce or Ray Allen were decent or even good defenders. But when needed they could play some D. You can't squeeze an ankle breaking crossover out of Afflalo or 18 foot jumper from Amir.

Seal the deal? You gotta be frikking kidding me.
"Hey Rex"
"What"
"Joe's on the phone"
"What's he want"
"He wants to GIVE you Arron Afflalo"
"For what"
"Nothing"
"I don't know, I mean we already have Donte"
"Uhhhh no we don't"
"Well we already have JR"
"Maybe, you know he's doing time right?"
"So you mean we don't have a single SG on our roster that 's not in Jail"
"Correct Sir"
"Ummmm, wait, let me ask Chauncey first"

It was actually his trademark. There are more pictures like that, and some in a Miami uniform as well.

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yeah, I know - but as I said, it looks like the game is on. Thatr's like Bron doing that stupid pre- game- chalk- thing some media guy told him to make in order to get him his own Jordan- tongue like - trademark during the game.

You can't buy skill once you are capped out. That is why Joe is adding guys with actual talent now, and shipping out guys without exceptional talent to do it, because he can always add an Afflalo or Johnson or Mejia when the team is capped out, but you can't add a 20PPG scorer when your team is capped out.

No one ever thought Paul Pierce or Ray Allen were decent or even good defenders. But when needed they could play some D. You can't squeeze an ankle breaking crossover out of Afflalo or 18 foot jumper from Amir.

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Have I said, I wanted David Lee? The only thing, I recall saying about David Lee recently is that he's a powerforward forced into the Center role. I can't even make a fair assessment on David Lee. I don't even watch the Knicks, like I watch the Pistons. Knicks are not an entertaining team.

I agree that Joe is adding talented guys, but I guess I agree with you that guys like Afflalo you can later, but it's nice that he attempted defense early in his career.

Sure, you can pull the Celtics as an example, but credit has to go to Tom Thibodeau no? While Joe has gone and hired an offensive coach, it's simply the reason why I believe that there's going to be a new team philosophy.

While Joe has gone and hired an offensive coach, it's simply the reason why I believe that there's going to be a new team philosophy.

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He's not an offensive coach. He coached offense for a couple years in Cleveland. He's been coaching for 30 years, he's been a college head coach, and he has worked with Larry Brown for almost 15 years. He was here when we won our title, was that an OFFENSIVELY oriented team?

Of course not.

This notion of offensive coach, defensive coach is silly. You score points to win. Stopping the opponent helps, but no one plays 1-0 NBA game.

This myth that we are a defensive team has been stretched to strange proportions. We have been a team under Carlisle, Brown and Flip that took the air out of the ball, and played a low possession type of game, that gave our roster of middling to good talent a chance to compete with the superstars of the day. We couldn't run with anyone, we had to play a slow style of basketball.

But anyway, I know you love AJ, why I cannot imagine as he is an unremarkable coach, much like SVG. But Q is here, and he was the right man at the right time. Whether he is a good coach who can get more out of the talent Joe is going to give him, remains to be seen. But AJ was a coach who got less out of his talent with time, and that,coupled with his notorious arrogance, is why I suspect he is on the sidelines, and not even working as an assistant. You can only coach without Xs and Os for so long.

yeah, I know - but as I said, it looks like the game is on. Thatr's like Bron doing that stupid pre- game- chalk- thing some media guy told him to make in order to get him his own Jordan- tongue like - trademark during the game.

16 and 12 with 2.3 assists and he has no skills? 55% shooting and 76% from the line. Ranks 11th in the NBA efficiency ranking, ranks 7th in the league in Sprocket Points. Maybe that's exaggerated some from playing on a truly bad team, but it's a long way from no skills. JMax is a hustle player without many skills, and Lee outperforms him in Sprocket Points on an equal minutes basis by nearly 50%.

I'd have taken him over Charlie V, especially for that kind of money, so fast your head would swim. With CV there really isn't a role for him on the Pistons, though I'd take him over Davis if he were affordable, but I can't imagine he will be.

He's not an offensive coach. He coached offense for a couple years in Cleveland. He's been coaching for 30 years, he's been a college head coach, and he has worked with Larry Brown for almost 15 years. He was here when we won our title, was that an OFFENSIVELY oriented team?

Of course not.

This notion of offensive coach, defensive coach is silly. You score points to win. Stopping the opponent helps, but no one plays 1-0 NBA game.

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It's what the press makes him out to be. Sure the press sucks from time to time, but at least they seem more knowledgeable than me.

This myth that we are a defensive team has been stretched to strange proportions. We have been a team under Carlisle, Brown and Flip that took the air out of the ball, and played a low possession type of game, that gave our roster of middling to good talent a chance to compete with the superstars of the day. We couldn't run with anyone, we had to play a slow style of basketball.

But anyway, I know you love AJ, why I cannot imagine as he is an unremarkable coach, much like SVG. But Q is here, and he was the right man at the right time. Whether he is a good coach who can get more out of the talent Joe is going to give him, remains to be seen. But AJ was a coach who got less out of his talent with time, and that,coupled with his notorious arrogance, is why I suspect he is on the sidelines, and not even working as an assistant. You can only coach without Xs and Os for so long.

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I simply like how he held players accountable. Sure, it seems like he would have a coach for a team full of veterans, but the Pistons are retooling/rebuilding, so I can see why Joe would go to another coach who hasn't been a head coach in the NBA. But his head coaching career in college is nothing to brag about. If I was him, I would have tried to hide that in my resume.

Avery does have the Xs and Os, have you seen his work in ESPN? He pointed stuff out, which Stan never did in the NBA Finals. He also must of had a factor in getting the most of his player in Dirk. As Dirk won MVP. True, it could have been because of the regular season record, but he earn an MVP nonetheless.

He's not an offensive coach. He coached offense for a couple years in Cleveland. He's been coaching for 30 years, he's been a college head coach, and he has worked with Larry Brown for almost 15 years. He was here when we won our title, was that an OFFENSIVELY oriented team?

Of course not.

This notion of offensive coach, defensive coach is silly. You score points to win. Stopping the opponent helps, but no one plays 1-0 NBA game.

This myth that we are a defensive team has been stretched to strange proportions. We have been a team under Carlisle, Brown and Flip that took the air out of the ball, and played a low possession type of game, that gave our roster of middling to good talent a chance to compete with the superstars of the day. We couldn't run with anyone, we had to play a slow style of basketball.

But anyway, I know you love AJ, why I cannot imagine as he is an unremarkable coach, much like SVG. But Q is here, and he was the right man at the right time. Whether he is a good coach who can get more out of the talent Joe is going to give him, remains to be seen. But AJ was a coach who got less out of his talent with time, and that,coupled with his notorious arrogance, is why I suspect he is on the sidelines, and not even working as an assistant. You can only coach without Xs and Os for so long.

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Roscoe, you have really been on your game lately. Have you been eating Wheaties?